Sorry for lengthy explanation!

After much useless Googling, I thought I'd ask a question here to see if anyone might have experience in this.

I have recently installed an Adaptec 1210SA RAID card, a Chenbro Hotswap 3to5 bay and two Maxtor 300GB hard disks, with the intention that it should become a disk backup for a live server.

The hardware seems to be installed correctly, but I've been having many strange issues. Initially, I setup a RAID-1 array (mirror) using the Adaptec RAID BIOS. This seemed to work until it rebooted, took forever to "Wait for controller to start...", only recognised one disk, and Linux hang whilst loading initrd.

I went back into RAID BIOS and removed the RAID-1, so they were Just a bunch of disks (JBOD). Linux now booted fine, and I proceeded to make a software RAID using mdadm. All was well, it made the array, I mounted it, and started a daily backup script to copy some important files on there.

I have noticed however, that now things have gone a bit messy. Only one disk is existant in mdstat:

[root@tampa ~]# cat /proc/mdstat
Personalities : [raid1]
md0 : active raid1 sdb[1]
293057280 blocks [2/1] [_U]

unused devices: <none>

If I mdadm --stop /dev/md0 then mdadm -A /dev/md0 (tail -f /var/log/messages in background):

[root@tampa ~]# mdadm -A /dev/md0
Jul 11 22:21:50 tampa kernel: md: md0 stopped.
mdadm: /dev/md0 has been started with 1 drive (out of 2).
[root@tampa ~]# Jul 11 22:22:03 tampa kernel: md: bind<sda>
Jul 11 22:22:03 tampa kernel: md: bind<sdb>
Jul 11 22:22:03 tampa kernel: md: kicking non-fresh sda from array!
Jul 11 22:22:03 tampa kernel: md: unbind<sda>
Jul 11 22:22:03 tampa kernel: md: export_rdev(sda)
Jul 11 22:22:03 tampa kernel: md: md0: raid array is not clean -- starting background reconstruction
Jul 11 22:22:03 tampa kernel: raid1: raid set md0 active with 1 out of 2 mirrors

I tried this earlier today, and got this lot of errors in /var/log/messages:

[root@tampa ~]# mdadm -A /dev/md0
>>> Very long wait here, could not Ctrl+C or anything!
Jul 11 21:52:07 tampa kernel: ata1: command 0xc8 timeout, stat 0xd0 host_stat 0x1
Jul 11 21:52:07 tampa kernel: ata1: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Jul 11 21:52:07 tampa kernel: sd 0:0:0:0: SCSI error: return code = 0x8000002
Jul 11 21:52:07 tampa kernel: sda: Current: sense key: Aborted Command
Jul 11 21:52:07 tampa kernel: Additional sense: Scsi parity error
Jul 11 21:52:07 tampa kernel: Info fld=0x0
Jul 11 21:52:07 tampa kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev sda, sector 0
Jul 11 21:52:07 tampa kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sda, logical block 0
Jul 11 21:53:08 tampa kernel: ata2: command 0x25 timeout, stat 0xd0 host_stat 0x1
Jul 11 21:53:08 tampa kernel: ata2: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Jul 11 21:53:08 tampa kernel: sd 1:0:0:0: SCSI error: return code = 0x8000002
Jul 11 21:53:08 tampa kernel: sdb: Current: sense key: Aborted Command
Jul 11 21:53:08 tampa kernel: Additional sense: Scsi parity error
Jul 11 21:53:08 tampa kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev sdb, sector 586114560
Jul 11 21:53:08 tampa kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sda, logical block 0
Jul 11 21:54:08 tampa kernel: ata2: command 0x25 timeout, stat 0xd0 host_stat 0x1
Jul 11 21:54:08 tampa kernel: ata2: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Jul 11 21:54:08 tampa kernel: sd 1:0:0:0: SCSI error: return code = 0x8000002
mdadm: /dev/md0 has been started with 1 drive (out of 2).

I am not sure where to go from here. On the Chenbro bay, the second HDD LED (sdb) is constantly on, the other (sda) is off, no activity.

I have not tried hot swapping these yet, I will get onto that when these problems are fixed.

I hope someone can help me, many thanks in advance,

James

Edit: lspci:
00:00.0 Host bridge: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] SiS645 Host & Memory & AGP Controller (rev 01)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] Virtual PCI-to-PCI bridge (AGP)
00:02.0 ISA bridge: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] SiS961 [MuTIOL Media IO]
00:02.1 SMBus: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] SiS961/2 SMBus Controller
00:02.2 USB Controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] USB 1.0 Controller (rev 07)
00:02.3 USB Controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] USB 1.0 Controller (rev 07)
00:02.5 IDE interface: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] 5513 [IDE] (rev d0)
00:02.7 Multimedia audio controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] Sound Controller (rev a0)
00:03.0 Ethernet controller: Silicon Integrated Systems [SiS] SiS900 PCI Fast Ethernet (rev 90)
00:08.0 RAID bus controller: Silicon Image, Inc. Adaptec AAR-1210SA SATA HostRAID Controller (rev 02)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV11 [GeForce2 MX/MX 400] (rev b2)

uname -a:
Linux tampa 2.6.17-1.2139_FC5 #1 Fri Jun 23 12:40:16 EDT 2006 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux

I have just done fdisk -l, this may provide more information:

[root@tampa ~]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 41.1 GB, 41110142976 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4998 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux
/dev/hda2 14 144 1052257+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/hda3 145 4998 38989755 83 Linux

Disk /dev/hdb: 203.9 GB, 203928109056 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 24792 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hdb1 * 1 24792 199141708+ 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sda: 300.0 GB, 300090728448 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 36483 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Disk /dev/sda doesn't contain a valid partition table
Jul 11 22:43:34 tampa kernel: ata2: command 0xc8 timeout, stat 0xd0 host_stat 0x1
Jul 11 22:43:34 tampa kernel: ata2: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Jul 11 22:43:34 tampa kernel: sd 1:0:0:0: SCSI error: return code = 0x8000002
Jul 11 22:43:34 tampa kernel: sdb: Current: sense key: Aborted Command
Jul 11 22:43:34 tampa kernel: Additional sense: Scsi parity error
Jul 11 22:43:34 tampa kernel: Info fld=0xef6607
Jul 11 22:43:34 tampa kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev sdb, sector 8
Jul 11 22:43:34 tampa kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb, logical block 1
Jul 11 22:44:34 tampa kernel: ata2: command 0xc8 timeout, stat 0xd0 host_stat 0x1
Jul 11 22:44:34 tampa kernel: ata2: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Jul 11 22:44:34 tampa kernel: sd 1:0:0:0: SCSI error: return code = 0x8000002
Jul 11 22:44:34 tampa kernel: sdb: Current: sense key: Aborted Command
Jul 11 22:44:34 tampa kernel: Additional sense: Scsi parity error
Jul 11 22:44:34 tampa kernel: Info fld=0x8
Jul 11 22:44:34 tampa kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev sdb, sector 16
Jul 11 22:44:34 tampa kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb, logical block 2
Jul 11 22:45:34 tampa kernel: ata2: command 0xc8 timeout, stat 0xd0 host_stat 0x1
Jul 11 22:45:34 tampa kernel: ata2: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Jul 11 22:45:34 tampa kernel: sd 1:0:0:0: SCSI error: return code = 0x8000002
Jul 11 22:45:34 tampa kernel: sdb: Current: sense key: Aborted Command
Jul 11 22:45:34 tampa kernel: Additional sense: Scsi parity error
Jul 11 22:45:34 tampa kernel: Info fld=0x10
Jul 11 22:45:34 tampa kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev sdb, sector 24
Jul 11 22:45:34 tampa kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb, logical block 3
Jul 11 22:46:34 tampa kernel: ata2: command 0x25 timeout, stat 0xd0 host_stat 0x1
Jul 11 22:46:34 tampa kernel: ata2: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Jul 11 22:46:34 tampa kernel: sd 1:0:0:0: SCSI error: return code = 0x8000002
Jul 11 22:46:34 tampa kernel: sdb: Current: sense key: Aborted Command
Jul 11 22:46:34 tampa kernel: Additional sense: Scsi parity error
Jul 11 22:46:34 tampa kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev sdb, sector 586114696
Jul 11 22:46:34 tampa kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb, logical block 73264337
Jul 11 22:47:34 tampa kernel: ata2: command 0x25 timeout, stat 0xd0 host_stat 0x1
Jul 11 22:47:34 tampa kernel: ata2: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Jul 11 22:47:34 tampa kernel: sd 1:0:0:0: SCSI error: return code = 0x8000002
Jul 11 22:47:34 tampa kernel: sdb: Current: sense key: Aborted Command
Jul 11 22:47:34 tampa kernel: Additional sense: Scsi parity error
Jul 11 22:47:34 tampa kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev sdb, sector 586114696
Jul 11 22:47:34 tampa kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb, logical block 73264337

Unable to read /dev/sdb
[root@tampa ~]# Jul 11 22:48:34 tampa kernel: ata2: command 0xc8 timeout, stat 0xd0 host_stat 0x1
Jul 11 22:48:34 tampa kernel: ata2: status=0xd0 { Busy }
Jul 11 22:48:34 tampa kernel: sd 1:0:0:0: SCSI error: return code = 0x8000002
Jul 11 22:48:34 tampa kernel: sdb: Current: sense key: Aborted Command
Jul 11 22:48:34 tampa kernel: Additional sense: Scsi parity error
Jul 11 22:48:34 tampa kernel: Info fld=0xef6688
Jul 11 22:48:34 tampa kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev sdb, sector 8
Jul 11 22:48:34 tampa kernel: Buffer I/O error on device sdb, logical block 1

Bump! Anyone able to help me? I've not managed to get any further with this despite efforts!

Bump

Hi,

I am having similar problem. Were you able to resolve the above mentioned problem? If so, could you please post how you fixed it?

Thanks.

Unfortunately, this won`t be the answer you want, but it was a physical connector broken on the hotswap bay...